On April 21, 1992, I assumed command of “A” Flight in the 79th Fighter Squadron’s lounge at RAF Upper Heyford; and after a long day of flying we exchanged the guidon to make it official – here our Ops Officer holds the “A” Flight guidon.

Our Ops Officer prepares to give the guidon to the current “A” Flight Commander, who will return the guidon to our Squadron Commander (left).

The 79th FS Commander has given the “A” Flight guidon to me in this photo, which I’ve accepted as the new “A” Flight Commander; squadrons traditionally have four flights of aircrew members: A, B, C, and D Flights.

I’ve returned my Squadron Commander’s salute as the traditional change of command ceremony concludes; not long afterwards I completed my Instructor check-out as an IWSO, and became the crewed IWSO with both my Squadron Commander and the 20th Fighter Wing’s Vice Commander.

With the change of command ceremony completed, I pose with my Squadron Commander holding the “A” Flight guidon; and as “A” Flight had come in last place in the previous quarter’s squadron bombing competition, I inherited the last place finish as well.

So my first and major task as the new “A” Flight Commander was to focus our efforts on beating the other flights in the current quarter’s bombing competition – in those days we utilized the many overwater bombing ranges in the U.K. to drop practice bombs for score – which we won in short order to put us back as the top flight.

In addition, I won individual top honors as “Top Aircrew” for the best scores in three separate bombing events in the, “Spring 1992 Wing Turkey Shoot” – so “A” Flight was back on top to stay.

’Life, Love and the Human Condition’ by Mark D. Jones

Welcome to my world! This blog is a place to capture all of the creative areas of my life into one spot that you can visit any time you like, and allow you to pause for a moment during the course of your day. You can see in the "categories section" the many creative interests that I have in my life - which I add to on a regular basis. Join with me in pondering the meaning of, "Life, Love and the Human Condition." So grab a cup of coffee or tea and spend a few minutes with me in my world...you may find it interesting and want to stay awhile! Enjoy!